Valve mechanism for steam engines



June 1941- w. s. DILLENBACH 2.2463135 VALVE MECHANISM FOR STEAM ENGINESFiled Jan. 2, 1940 IS-Sheets-Sheetl 4 Inventor DAN/EL 5.= 2/4 A ENBACH,

By @Mm A itomeys June w. s. DILLENBACH 2,246,435

VALVE MECHANISM FOR STEAM ENGINES Filed Jan. 2, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2gm/M //////////7////) Inventor DAN/[L 5. D/LLENBACH,

A itorneys June 17, 1941. D. s. DILLE NBACH.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR SI'EAM ENGINES Filed Jan. 2, 1940 a Sheets-Sheet rsY v Inventor flA/v/EL iD/LLE/v/BACH,

A itomeys Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlQE VALVEMEOHANISMFOR STEAM ENGINES Daniel S. Dillenbach, Hastings, Nebr.

Application January 2, 1940, Serial No. 312,137

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a valve mechanism for steam engines of themultiple cylinder type, and has for the primary object the provision ofa device of this character for opening and closing the intake andexhaust steam ports of the cylinders in timed relation with thereciprocation of the pistons in said cylinders and which includes slidevalves and an operating means therefor actuated by the movement of thepistons which is capable of efficient operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating a portion of asteam engine equipped with a valve mechanism constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating one of thecylinders and the intake and exhaust steam passages therefor and theslide valve for controlling said passages.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a cylinderblock and 6 a bed or support therefor. are cylinders l in which arereciprocally mounted pistons 8 equipped with connecting rods 9. Theseconnecting rods may be coupled with the mechanism forming the subjectmatter of my copending application filed December 21, 1939 and SerialNo. 310,419, new Patent No. 2,239,663, whereby the pistons will bealternately reciprocated or, if desired, the connecting rods 9 may becoupled to an ordinary crank shaft (not shown). Rack bar operating armsIn form integral parts of the connecting rods.

The block 5 is provided with intake and exhaust steam passages l l andI2 connecting with the cylinders I and leading outwardly of the block.

The passages II and I2 are intercepted by valve channels l3 which alsoopen outwardly of the block and have slidable therein valve plates I4provided with staggeredly arranged intake and exhaust ports l5 and IS.The slidable valve plates also include in their construction rack teethI l Formed in the cylinder block I Cfl which mesh with gears l8 securedon shafts Hi. The shafts l9 are journaled in bearings 20 carried byvertically arranged supports 2| mounted on the engine bed. Also securedto the shafts l9 are beveled gears 22 meshing with a beveled gear 23secured to a shaft 24 journaled in a bearing 22. The gears 22 and 23coact in bringing about reverse rotation of the shafts l9 so that thevalve plates will be alternately reciprocated in accordance with thealternate reciprocation of the pistons 8. Integral with the gears I8 aregears 26 larger than said gears l8 and which mesh with rack bars 2!slidably mounted in channels 28 provided in the cylinder block and liein the path of movement of the rack bar operating arms I0 on theconnecting r0dS 9.

As the pistons reciprocate in their cylinders, operation of the valveplates will be brought about by the mechanism which has been describedin detail so that the exhaust ports will be open when the pistons aremoving on their non-power strokes and the intake ports closed at thattime and when operating on their power strokes the valves will open theintake ports and close the exhaust ports.

Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the right-hand piston in thisfigure has just completed its exhaust stroke and that the intake steampassage is open to admit steam for driving said piston on its workingstroke, the other piston being on its exhaust stroke. As the right-handpiston in Figure 1 moves on its power strok it drives the other pistonand'as the latter completes a part of its exhaust stroke, the arm Illthereof contacts one of the rack bars and brings about operation of thevalve plates at proper time to close the intake steam passage to theright-hand cylinder and open the exhaust passage thereof and to closethe exhaust passage of the left-hand cylinder and open the intake steampassage thereto. Due to the gears 22 and 23 it will be seen that thevalve plates are alternatingly operated in accordance with the alternatereciprocation of the pistons 8 and that th shafts of said gears arerotated by the arm l0 striking the rack bars when the pistons are ontheir non-power strokes. However, it is to be seen that the pistonscomplete a part of their non-power strokes before the rack bars areengaged and moved by the arms IE! to bring about the actuation of thevalve plates. This permits a period of idleness of the valve plateswhich is needed to permit exhausting of one of the cylinders andadmitting steam to the other cylinder when the piston of that cylinderis on its power stroke.

The shafts [9 have secured thereto counterbalance weights l8 which actto retain the valve plates l4 against accidental sliding movement duringthe period of time the valve plates are non-driven. The counterbalanceWeights are arranged to extend in opposite directions from the shafts l9and assume horizontal positions at the time the valve plates arenon-driven. Each time the valve plates are driven the shafts l9 rotateone-half revolution reversing the horizontal positions of thcounterbalance weights.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connectionwith the drawings, will fully set forth the construction and advantagesof this invention to those skilled in the art to which such a devicerelates, so that further detailed description will not be required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a valve mechanism for steam engines, a cylinder block havingcylinders and steam intake and exhaust passages connected to saidcylinders, alternatingly reciprocated pistons in said cylinders andincluding connecting rods, arms on said connecting rods, shaftsrotatably supported on the block and arranged in endwise relation,gearing connecting the adjacent ends of the shafts to bring aboutrotation of said shafts in reverse direction to each other when eitherof said shafts is rotated, gears secured to said shafts, rack barsmeshing with said gears and slidably mounted in the block and lying inthe paths of said arms to be alternatingly driven by said pistons andthereby alternatingly drive said shafts, gears secured to said shafts,and valve plates slidably supported by the block and including teeth inmesh with the last-named gears and having intake and exhaust ports foropening and closing the intake and exhaust passages of said cylinders.

DANIEL S. DILLENBACH.

